USA

By
Compiled from wire service reports by Robert Kilborn and Kristen Broman-Worthington /
October 6, 2003

In the waning hours before Tuesday's recall election, California Gov. Gray Davis (D) and the lead contender to replace him, Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger, were wrapping up tours of the state. At a rally Saturday in Clovis, Schwarzenegger accused Democrats of "trying to torpedo my campaign," after several reports in which women accused the actor of sexual harassment on movie sets and other venues. He has apologized for some incidents but denied others. Meanwhile, a new opinion poll found support for Schwarzenegger eroding, to 36 percent, compared with 29 percent for his nearest rival, Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante (D). But 54 percent of respondents in the Knight Ridder survey said they still favored Davis' removal.

Hosting his first state visit by an African leader, President Bush welcomes Kenya's President Mwai Kibaki to the White House today. A Kibaki spokes-man hailed the trip as "a milestone" in US-Kenya relations. Security concerns prompted Bush to skip the East African nation on his July tour of the continent, and the State Department has advised against travel there in the wake of last year's terrorist bombing in Mombasa. Kibaki is expected to request an end to the travel advisory, which has devastated the country's vital tourism industry, as well as resumed international aid.

An estimated 100,000 people attended a rally for immigrants' rights in New York Saturday, according to event organizers. The gathering marked the end of the Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride, a two-week, 18-bus convoy inspired by the 1960s civil rights movement. During the opening ceremonies, Roman Catholic Cardinal Edward Egan said, "We cannot go on simply ignoring or tolerating the plight of these brothers and sisters." The mainly Latino participants want legalization of undocumented workers, improved working conditions, and reunification with family members in other countries.

At least three people were reported dead following a shooting spree in Atlanta. A woman at the Turner Monumental A.M.E. church in Kirkwood, a predominantly black neighborhood of the city, killed the pastor and another person before taking her own life, police said. The incident occurred before the start of Sunday morning services.

Louisiana voters will choose between the son of Indian immigrants and Lt. Gov. Kathleen Blanco (D) in a gubernatorial runoff Nov. 15. With the count from Saturday's open primary almost complete, conservative Republican Piyush "Bobby" Jindal, a former Bush administration official, was in first place with 33 percent of the vote. Blanco finished second with 18 percent. Incumbent Gov. Mike Foster (R) is barred from seeking a third term.

Roy Horn, of famed illusionist duo Siegfried and Roy, was hospitalized in critical but stable condition after being mauled by a tiger Friday night onstage at the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas. A spokesman for the pair said it was the first such incident in 36 years of performances, known for featuring rare white tigers, lions, elephants, and other exotic animals.